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I, like others on here enjoy the local places. however, I also enjoy a couple of chains. Our own criteria are in no particular order:
Service/Reception/friendliness-Paramount to a pleasant dining experience.
cleanliness, especially the restrooms. If a restroom is filthy, we don't eat there, period.
selection, varied menu, specials, decent beer, wine and desert selection
location-Easy access, and easy to get in and out of
Hours (There is a local eatery we would love to try, but it closes on weeknights not too long after we get home from work, and it closes at 4 on Saturday)
I pick restaurants for their food, as opposed to the atmosphere. Here are some of the criteria from my experience:
1. The fancier the decor, the worse the food. Sure, there are some exceptions out there, but this is true of most restaurants (and I eat out a lot). Indoor waterfalls, tanker-sized aquariums and crazy-looking lighting fixtures -- means bland food and unimaginative cooking at best. And truly, I don't understand why that is. Can't the same restaurant invest in a great interior designer AND a great chef? For any restaurant, the less attention is paid to interior design, the better; for upscale restaurants, minimalist decor is best.
2. A big menu is a very bad sign. Apart from the fact that wading through a 19-page Grossbuch is confusing, there is a more obvious problem: I mean, unless the restaurant has a kitchen the size of a Costco parking lot and an army of cooks, they can't possibly make all that to order. A restaurant that cooks steak umpteen different ways is one thing; but an establishment whose menu runs the gamut from pickled sea cucumber in papaya sauce to braised ostriches is bad news. What this tells you is that they use a lot of canned and frozen stuff. And, as far as I am concerned, the only reason to go out to a restaurant is to eat something you can't make at home. Right?
3. Dishes with a long ingredient list are usually a bad sign, particularly if they are "specials". "For tonight's special we have penne in our delectable house-made sauce of tomatoes, cream, bacon, shrimp, sausage, spinach, peas, carrots, onions, herbs, mushrooms and leeks, all pureed and stewed to perfection, topped with blended shavings of several aged cheeses." Wow. I mean, it's nice someone has found a nifty way of using their leftovers, but there is no way I am going to eat some potluck pantry leavings (and that's, assuming those ingredients weren't picked off people's unfinished plates earlier). Not only should you not order this particular dish -- stay away from the place altogether.
4. When reading reviews, give the negative ones more weight. For one thing, the negative reviews tend to be more specific. Another -- and that's one more of those mysteries -- whenever I've gone to restaurants that have mixed reviews, I was disappointed. Maybe I'm just too demanding.
5. Stay away from known tourist thoroughfares. This is a no-brainer. Bland and overpriced.
6. When picking an ethnic restaurant, follow the horse to water. If you are on a street lined with Korean restaurants, watch where all the Korean people go. Ditto for all the others.
6. When picking an ethnic restaurant, follow the horse to water. If you are on a street lined with Korean restaurants, watch where all the Korean people go. Ditto for all the others.
Its how my dad found his fav restaurant in china town and where I found my fav mexican restaurant here in cincinnati
I pick restaurants for their food, as opposed to the atmosphere. Here are some of the criteria from my experience:
1. The fancier the decor, the worse the food. Sure, there are some exceptions out there, but this is true of most restaurants (and I eat out a lot). Indoor waterfalls, tanker-sized aquariums and crazy-looking lighting fixtures -- means bland food and unimaginative cooking at best. And truly, I don't understand why that is. Can't the same restaurant invest in a great interior designer AND a great chef? For any restaurant, the less attention is paid to interior design, the better; for upscale restaurants, minimalist decor is best.
2. A big menu is a very bad sign. Apart from the fact that wading through a 19-page Grossbuch is confusing, there is a more obvious problem: I mean, unless the restaurant has a kitchen the size of a Costco parking lot and an army of cooks, they can't possibly make all that to order. A restaurant that cooks steak umpteen different ways is one thing; but an establishment whose menu runs the gamut from pickled sea cucumber in papaya sauce to braised ostriches is bad news. What this tells you is that they use a lot of canned and frozen stuff. And, as far as I am concerned, the only reason to go out to a restaurant is to eat something you can't make at home. Right?
3. Dishes with a long ingredient list are usually a bad sign, particularly if they are "specials". "For tonight's special we have penne in our delectable house-made sauce of tomatoes, cream, bacon, shrimp, sausage, spinach, peas, carrots, onions, herbs, mushrooms and leeks, all pureed and stewed to perfection, topped with blended shavings of several aged cheeses." Wow. I mean, it's nice someone has found a nifty way of using their leftovers, but there is no way I am going to eat some potluck pantry leavings (and that's, assuming those ingredients weren't picked off people's unfinished plates earlier). Not only should you not order this particular dish -- stay away from the place altogether.
4. When reading reviews, give the negative ones more weight. For one thing, the negative reviews tend to be more specific. Another -- and that's one more of those mysteries -- whenever I've gone to restaurants that have mixed reviews, I was disappointed. Maybe I'm just too demanding.
5. Stay away from known tourist thoroughfares. This is a no-brainer. Bland and overpriced.
6. When picking an ethnic restaurant, follow the horse to water. If you are on a street lined with Korean restaurants, watch where all the Korean people go. Ditto for all the others.
Wow.
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